


Salamandar

by pengwyn_princess



Series: Elementals [1]
Category: Ghost (Swedish Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-09-15 16:39:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9245156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pengwyn_princess/pseuds/pengwyn_princess
Summary: Part 1 of the Elementals seriesLatina dance studio owner and instructor Catarina thought she had her life figured out. She did what she loved for a living and got paid for it. And, on top of that, her job allowed her late nights in the Miami party scene. But then a Nameless Ghoul by the name of Alpha showed up, turning her world upside down. Will she be able to contain the flames of power and passion, or will she succumb to the heat?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is a work that I have been mulling around in my head for quite some time and I finally had time to sit down and type some of it out! Comments and suggestions are welcomed and encouraged and I hope you enjoy!

Catarina walked down the sidewalk of downtown Miami, digging through her bag to find her keys for the studio. She could swear that purses opened up to a different dimension. It didn’t matter how little or how much you had in it; you always had to spend at least five minutes with your hand buried deep into the depths until you found what you needed. She was so focused on trying to find her keys, she walked straight into someone walking the opposite direction, causing her to stumble backwards a few steps. A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist to keep her upright.

  
“Oh, _perdoname_. I’m so sorry,” she apologized as she looked up to make eye contact with the most startling hazel eyes she had ever seen.

  
“Are you all right?” asked a voice hinted with Swedish accent.

  
“Oh, yes I’m fine. Sorry I was looking for something,” she pulled her wrist out of his grasp and continued down the sidewalk, her face flushed.

  
The man she had run into watched her as she disappeared through a bustling group of people. “Found you,” he said with a smile.

  
~

  
After finally finding her keys, Catarina unlocked the door to her dance studio and turned on the lights. It would be another hour before the rich trophy wives would come in for Zumba, but she turned the upbeat music on anyways so that she could stretch. Placing her bag into her office with her sunglasses, she walked out to the center of the dance floor. She loved the feeling of waking every single little muscle through stretching.

  
Eventually the women came filing in, bottle blonde hair up in ponytails and yoga pants on. “Good morning, Cat!” they greeted her.

  
Catarina greeted them with a smile. Every time she saw them she was glad of her Hispanic heritage and the fact she was born with naturally tanned skin. Some of the older women reminded her of Oompa-Loompas with their fake tan.  
“All right ladies, _vamanos_!” Catarina clapped her hands to get the ladies’ attention. She tapped on her mic to make sure it was on and started her class.

  
~

  
After her last student had left for the day, Catarina began tidying up her studio before heading out herself. As she leaned down to pick up an empty water bottle, a pair of dress shoes and spats came into her field of vision. She looked up to see a tall man dressed in black pants and coat. Over his face was a demonic silver mask that only showed his eyes.  
Catarina let out a startled cry and fell backwards. She quickly scrambled to her feet and ran into her office, grabbing the small gun that she kept in her purse.

  
“Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my studio?” she demanded, pointing her gun in the stranger’s direction.

  
The tall man seemed unperturbed by the loaded weapon and began to slowly advance. Catarina cocked the gun.

  
“Look, _pendejo_ , I know how to use a gun and I’m not afraid to shoot a man.”

  
The man stopped walking, but kept eye contact with Catarina, “I’ve been looking for you for quite some time. I have finally found you, Salamander.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally had a chance to sit down and knock out another chapter! Yay! I'm on a role so I already started into Chapter 3. Hopefully, it won't take me as long to post next time!

Catarina stared at the strangely dressed man.

  
“I’m sorry what? Did you just call me a lizard?”

  
The man looked at her as if he had sprouted three heads.

  
“No, I called you Salamander, the Fire Elemental.”

  
Despite the oddity of the situation, Catarina burst into laughter. “Oh, yeah because that makes WAY more sense! Dude, you are loco. Get out of here before I call the cops on you.”

  
“I can’t.”

  
“Why not?”

  
“I am under orders to protect you.”

  
“Protect me from what?!?! Under who’s orders?!?!?!”

  
The masked man ignored Catarina’s questions and took a step closer to her. “We need to leave. Now. It’s not safe here.”

  
“If you think I’m going anywhere with you, you’re sadly mistaken. And there’s no way I’m this ‘Salamander’ you’re looking for because –"

  
Catarina’s rebuttal was cut short as the man moved swiftly in front of her, and, before she could blink, he had her wrist of the hand holding the gun clasped tightly in his own large hand.

  
“I don’t know why your kind is always so stubborn, even with faced with the truth,” the stranger lifted his free hand, which was now impossibly aflame.

  
Catarina’s eyes widened and she struggled against the vice grip on her wrist. Before she could scream, the man pressed the fire into her chest, igniting her whole body. She stumbled backwards as her wrist was released and tried to frantically smack the fire out, but, if anything, it just seemed to make the fire grow.

  
It took Catarina a few moments to realize that she wasn’t in the excruciating pain she should be for someone being burned alive. She looked down at her hands and turned them over in confusion before balling them into fists. “I don’t know what is going on,” she said through gritted teeth, “but you need to make it stop.”

  
The man burst into laughter, “You’re the Salamander. Stop it yourself!”

  
“I don’t know how!” she began fanning herself in an attempt to fight off some of the flames, making the man laugh more.

  
“Close your eyes and concentrate. Will the fire to cease,” he said when he was able to stop laughing.

  
Catarina took a deep breath and closed her eyes, putting all her thoughts towards the fire dying down. When she opened her eyes again, the flames were gone, but so were her clothes. Before she could let out a shriek of embarrassment, a jacket was wrapped around her shoulders.

  
“I probably should’ve warned you about that,” the man remarked, almost a bit sheepishly.

  
“Yeah before or after you forced fire on me?” Catarina snapped, shoving her arms through the long sleeves and buttoning the jacket up, her face burning with embarrassment. Thankfully, the jacket was long enough it came mid-thigh, but it wasn’t something she could walk home in. “How am I supposed to get home? I can’t exactly walk down the street of Miami in a stranger’s jacket while he’s shirtless.”

  
She could hear him chuckle from behind the mask. “Here,” he reached for her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

  
“What on earth are you –"

  
“Close your eyes and think of home,” he ordered.

  
“How is that –"

  
“Just do it,” he interjected again, pressing his forehead to hers, his free hand coming from behind to hold her head in place.

  
Catarina shivered at the touch of the cold metal to her skin, but she squeezed her eyes shut and thought of her tiny apartment. She felt the pressure of being held to someone release and she opened her eyes. She was standing smack in the middle of her apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of my Hispanic friends read this and I'm getting words wrong, please let me know! I have not spoken in a long time, so I'm trying my best with what I can remember!
> 
> *Warning* Things get a bit rough, but not too rough. Saving that for later!

“How-"

  
“Perks of the job,” the man plopped onto her couch, propping his feet up on her coffee table as he turned on the TV, flipping through the channels at a dizzying pace.

  
Catarina narrowed her eyes and stood in front of the television, hands on her hips. “I think you owe me an explanation,” she demanded.

  
The man ignored her and just leaned to the side so he could see around her and what was on the screen. Her anger beginning to boil, she kicked the coffee table, making his feet fall to the floor with a loud thump. “I said,” fumed Catarina, “I. Want. An. Explanation. Answers. NOW!”

  
The man looked up at her, mildly annoyed, “And I want my jacket back.”

  
“You can have it back when I get some answers.”

  
“Or I can just take it from you,” the man’s eyes glowed a dangerous red as he slowly rose from the couch.

  
Catarina stood her ground, “You wouldn’t dare!”

  
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say because Catarina was slammed backwards into the wall, a hand on her throat. “Stubborn Salamander,” the man growled as he started flicking the buttons open one by one with his free hand, “I can take whatever I want when I want. I do not take orders from your kind.”

  
Catarina dug her nails into the arm that was holding her to the wall, “Get off me, you _cochino_! I’ll take it off myself!”

  
The man released her and she shoved him backwards with such force he went stumbling backwards and landed on the couch. “You should know better than to treat a lady like that!” Catarina yelled as she marched off to her room, “I’m going to take a shower. If I find you perving out, I’m scratching out your eyes and feeding them to you!” she threatened as she slammed the door shut.

  
As she walked through her bedroom and into her bathroom, Catarina grumbled and cursed under her breath before locking the bathroom door for, at least in her mind, extra security. Why her? She thought as she fumbled with the big silver buttons. She was perfectly content with her life. She made good money. She got to do what she loved for a living. Why did this stupid man dressed in the gaudiest outfit for Miami heat ever have to waltz into HER dance studio? She turned the water on scalding before stepping into the shower. Well, if she really was a Salamander like he claimed she was, it would explain why she always had to have her shower water so hot, she smirked with wry amusement.  
Catarina quickly washed herself and then stood underneath the hot water with her eyes closed until the water started to wane in heat. Turning off the water she wrapped her hair and then her body in a towel before stepping out into a sauna of a bathroom. The air in her bedroom was a relief of cool air that prickled her skin as she searched for sweat pants and her old high school dance team’s shirt.

  
After slipping into her clothes, she towel dried her hair out, grabbed the jacket, and marched out into the living room. The man was still lounged on her couch and she threw the jacket at him, smacking him squarely in the face. “There’s your stupid jacket. Now I would like some answers…please.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly (needed) dialogue this chapter, but I promise next chapter will get a little spicy ;)

“I never promised to answer anything,” the man yanked the jacket off his head and put it down next to him on the couch as he continued to flip through channels, “And I’m not at liberty to answer everything, even if I wanted to.”

  
“Okay, well let’s start with something simple,” Catarina sat down in the armchair near the couch, “Like a name?”  
“You can’t pronounce it,” the man said flatly, “It’s impossible to in the form you’re in.”

  
Catarina threw her hands up, “Fine! Creepy Masked Guy it is! Or would you prefer something more along the lines of _Hombre Feo Succio_?”

  
“You can call me by my affinity.”

  
“Affinity?”

  
“Yes, I have the affinity for fire, so you could call me that. Or you could call me by my rank,” the man shrugged, “I don’t really care.”

  
“And what is your rank?”

  
“I’m an Alpha.”

  
“If you’re an Alpha, then why are you stuck with babysitting duties?”

  
He finally turned and looked at her, his eyes narrowed to slits. “Because that was what I was assigned to do, the threat against you is too much for a mere underling to handle, and YOU are too much for an underling to handle,” he pointed at her for emphasis.

  
Catarina sniffed, slightly offended, “You make it sound like I’m hard to deal with.”

  
“Well, am I lying?”

  
Catarina pouted, “…No.”

  
“There you go,” Alpha returned his attention to the television.

  
“So…what are you?” Catarina asked, “You’re obviously not human.”

  
“You aren’t human either,” he pointed out.

  
“But how can I not be human? I had human parents. I have a brother. I went to human schools. I was captain of the dance team!”

  
“They aren’t your real family. It’s becoming harder and harder for Elementals to coexist with the modern world. They were surrogates.”

  
“So…I’m adopted?”

  
Alpha sighed, “It’s more complicated than that and I really don’t feel like explaining it to you.”

  
They sat in silence and Catarina finally had a chance to study the man that appeared so suddenly into her life. For someone who wasn’t human he sure looked it. Her eyes scanned from his dress shoes on her coffee table, up his dress pants, to his bare, muscular chest and arms, and his silver demonic mask. He was definitely nothing Catarina ever encountered before and his mask was simple yet intricate from the little horns to the sculpting of hair.

  
“Like what you see?”

Catarina’s thoughts were interrupted when her brown eyes met his red ones. She felt a blush creep up her face. “I was just wondering if you were going to put your jacket back on,” she quickly responded in an attempt to cover up her embarrassment.

  
“Why? Does seeing a half-naked man bother you?” his eyes crinkled in amusement.

  
“No, but seeing a half-naked creeper lying on my couch does,” she fired back at him.

  
“Creeper?” confusion flashed across his eyes.

  
“Yes! Creeper! You show up at random to my dance studio, you burn off all my clothes, and then you push me up against the wall to take your jacket back! You are a Class One Level A Creepasaur!”

  
“I am under orders to protect you.”

  
“Protect me from what?!?! I haven’t seen anything, besides old people driving, that is life-threatening!”

  
“Oh, you won’t see them coming. You’ll just be alive, and then you won’t be.”

  
“So what’s your plan then? What do you intend to do?”

  
“To protect you until the threat is no longer an issue,” he turned back to the TV.  
“Where do you intend to stay then?”

  
Alpha shrugged, “You aren’t allowed to leave my sight.”

  
Catarina’s eyes grew wide, “Ooooooh no! You are NOT staying here! Uh uh! No! I don’t KNOW YOU! How do I know that I can trust you? That YOU aren’t the threat?”

  
“If I wanted you dead, I would’ve taken you down the moment you bumped into me on your way to work this morning,” Alpha stated.

  
Goosebumps covered Catarina’s skin and she rubbed her arms to fend off the piercing cold of the situation that just occurred to her. She knew that Alpha didn’t mean to scare her (or maybe he did to make a point), but it didn’t make it any less scary. For the first time, she felt the danger that was lurking close by.

  
“As long as you listen to me and do what I say, you will be safe,” Alpha continued, “You’ll hardly notice I’m here.”

  
“Well I highly doubt that,” she grumbled underneath her breath.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is so DIFFICULT to put the beauty and energy of dancing into mere words, but I tried my best. Things are starting to get a little spicy! ;)

After her very (unsuccessful) interrogation, Catarina retreated into her room for a few hours to take a nap, but not before dishing out threats of what she would do if anything were to happen to her or her apartment. When she emerged from her room, she was dressed in a black oversized exercise tank that showed of her hot pink sports bra, capri-length exercise pants, and plimsol sneakers.

“And where is it you think you’re going?” Alpha raised an eyebrow.

“Work,” Catarina replied as she twisted her long hair up into a messy top bun, “The bills aren’t going to pay themselves, you know.”

“You go to work dressed like that?” he eyed over her tight pants and revealing top. “It’s Wednesday,” she leaned over the kitchen bar to grab her keys out of a blue ceramic bowl, feeling Alpha’s eyes on her, “Wednesday evening is Bachata.”

Catarina turned around to see Alpha standing directly in front of her. “You can’t stop me from going,” she tilted her head up so she could make eye contact in defiance, “You would have to tie me to a chair.”

“Don’t tempt me,” his voice became husky as he put his hands on either side of her so he could lean against the bar, pinning Catarina and making heat rush from her chest towards her face, “If you have to leave, I’m going with you.”

“Not dressed like a BDSM dom you aren’t,” Catarina countered back, making Alpha laugh.

“I can change my appearance,” he chuckled.

“Another perk?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll change back to this form later. You seem to be partial to it.” _Was he teasing her?_ The air grew heavy and Alpha’s form turned fuzzy and then morphed into a man with short wavy dark hair and blue eyes. He even had a slight scruff as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days.

Catarina looked at his jeans and tight black t-shirt and smiled. “I guess that will have to do. I hope you’re ready to bust your ass.”

~

After arguing over teleporting or walking to the studio, a triumphant Catarina walked down the sidewalk, a begrudging Alpha in tow. “Now you let me do most of the talking,” Catarina explained as she slipped her arm through the crook of Alpha’s to ensure she had his attention, “The other dancers will want to know where I found you. And you can’t be defiant because that will raise questions. You also might get asked odd things; just ignore it. Have you ever danced before?”

Alpha shook his head and Catarina grinned, “Oh you’re going to have so much fun!”

“Can’t I just, I don’t know, sit there and watch?”

“Absolutely not! You’ll look like a creep. Well, even more so than you already do. And who in their right mind would turn down free dance lessons anyways?” Catarina unlocked the door and walked in, turning on all the lights and humming to herself. Alpha’s eyes followed Catarina around the room, but if Catarina noticed, she gave away no indication.

It didn’t take long for a group of dancers to start filing in. Alpha could hear them before they even walked into the building. Catarina smiled and welcomed them each with a hug. Alpha received questioning looks, but nobody approached him or said anything to him.

“We have a new addition to our _familia_!” Catarina announced once everyone had arrived, “This is Alonso,” _lie_ , “we just recently met” _truth_ “and he expressed interest in learning our way of Bachata” _lie_ “Everyone please make him feel welcome as he is terribly shy!” The last lie earned Catarina a scowl which she returned with a smile and a wink.

“Cat!” one of the dancers shouted, “You gonna show the noobie how it’s done?”

The suggestion was well received as everyone else chimed in their agreements.

“Very well, if you all insist,” Catarina grinned, “Jorge?”

A Hispanic male stepped out of the crowd amidst excited clapping. He smiled at Catarina and grabbed her waist, pulling her close. He then wrapped one arm around her and let the other one fall to his side. Catarina put her hands on his shoulders and they pressed their foreheads together. Someone started up the Latin music and the dance partners began to sway back and forth. Catarina’s hands went to the back of Jorge’s neck and hair as they stepped backwards and forwards, their bodies inches apart. They spun around as Jorge’s hands went up Catarina’s back and he dipped her backwards before bringing her back up. They stepped away from one another, holding hands and Jorge spun Catarina back to him and underneath their linked hands. He pulled her next to him so they were hip to hip and spun her around again until they were in front of one another. Jorge pulled Catarina in close, their foreheads touching again as they both sunk down, their hips rolling before standing back up. Their bodies rolled and spun and touched and parted only to be pulled back together. Jorge spun Catarina around so her back was to him, their hands still linked as she sunk down and popped back up. They walked forward a few steps and then they released each other’s hands. Jorge and Catarina stepped in sync as they went around in another circle. They spun around and grasped hands dancing back and forth in a circle. Jorge pulled Catarina in and wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up off the ground and spinning in a circle before slowly letting her feet come back in contact with the floor. They held each other close as the music ended, panting slightly. The room erupted into a thunderous applause and Jorge planted a kiss on Catarina’s lips and spun her out so they could both bow at their approving audience.

“You might want to pick your jaw up off the floor,” Catarina smirked as she walked past Alpha. Alpha snapped close the mouth he didn’t realize was hanging open and he scowled, but Catarina could see his ears tinting red.


	6. Chapter 6

When Catarina had told him it was dance lessons, Alpha was expecting something more along the lines of salsa. He never could’ve imagined that the dancing Catarina did was so…sensual. The whole time she was dancing, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. He felt this strange feeling in his chest. Was he jealous that it wasn’t him that she was dancing with? What was wrong with him? She was a mission! A mission that Alpha was approached to handle by the leader himself. Frustrated with himself, his eyes fell on the Latin dancer as she joked and laughed with the others.

“She is _en fuego_ no?” Alpha was jerked out of deep thought and turned to look at the male dancer that addressed him. The guy smiled at him, showing off white teeth.

“What?” Alpha asked, a bit confused.

The guy laughed, “Cat! She is, how you say, a burning fire; full of _passi_ _ón_. For her, dancing is _vida_.”

“I see you’ve become acquainted with Sebastián,” Catarina approached the two, “Are you ready for your first lesson?”

“I can’t dance like that,” Alpha stated bluntly, referring to Catarina and Jorge’s choreography.

“Not with that attitude you can’t,” Catarina jabbed a finger into Alpha’s chest, “I wouldn’t just throw you out into the ocean and expect you to swim without teaching you first. Before anything else, you have to ensure you have a good stance.”

Catarina gently kicked Alpha’s feet slightly apart, straightened his core, moved his right hand to the small of her back and grabbed his left hand, holding it with her right at shoulder length. Her left hand she slowly dragged her fingers from the edge of his shoulder blade to behind his neck.

“Just like that,” Catarina instructed gently, making eye contact to ensure Alpha’s understanding, “Now right foot back. No, just your right foot. Try again, right foot back. Good now move it back where you had it. Now the left foot back, and back next to your right foot. Okay do it again right foot; left foot; right foot; left foot. There you go! You’re a quick learner!”

Catarina released her hold on Alpha, but he gripped her hand and his arm went around her waist, pulling her close. “Alph-Alonso you don’t get to hog the teacher the whole class,” Catarina laughed.

Alpha released her and took a step back, “I apologize,” he scratched the side of his face, embarrassed.

“Don’t worry I’ll be sure you are paired up with one of our best,” Catarina grinned, “Right Sebastián?”

“You got it, _jefa_! I’ll take good care of him,” Sebastián patted Alpha on the back, much to the horrified Alpha.

~

The walk back to Catarina’s apartment was a quiet one until Alpha cleared his throat, “So you and Jorge are…together?”

Catarina laughed, “Jorge and me? No we aren’t together.”

Alpha felt a rush of unexpected relief.

“We do sleep together on occasion though,” Catarina paused and looked at Alpha, who’s mouth formed a wordless “oh” and gave him a smile, “it helps if you and your partner are connected on every level. It improves our choreography. And I do get lonely from time to time.”

Catarina unlocked her door and stood to the side to allow Alpha in first and he headed right towards the couch.

“Get used to it,” Catarina remarked as she purposely walked slowly in front of the TV towards the kitchen, “I don’t care if your mission is to protect me; you aren’t sleeping in my room.”

“I don’t sleep much anyways.”

“Do you eat?” Catarina opened the fridge and perused the contents.

“It’s not necessary for me, but there’s something about food that I enjoy. I’m quite fond of what you call peanut butter.”

“So then what do you use for sustenance if you don’t eat?”

“Generally my kind feeds off energy that souls produce,” Catarina jumped when Alpha appeared behind her to look in the fridge.

“Don’t do that,” Catarina spun around to glare at Alpha, “You can’t just pop up behind me like that.”

“Well, technically, I can,” Alpha put one hand on the fridge door and another on the outside of the fridge so Catarina was boxed in.

“You’re letting all the cold air out of my fridge,” Catarina’s eyes narrowed, “And you’re not feeding off me. There’s a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard.”

“Pity,” Alpha leaned in, their faces inches apart, “You smell delicious,” he grabbed a can of guava Goya off the top shelf without breaking eye contact and then turned around so he could rummage through the cupboard.

Catarina let out a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she was holding in. Whatever this threat was, she hoped it was resolved quickly before she lost her mind.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I had to do filler! Please don't hate me! I promise next chapter will be more interesting!

The next few weeks brought about a bit of change to Catarina’s schedule, much to her chagrin. Alpha followed her everywhere…literally. And that was IF he allowed her out of her own apartment.

Catarina had put Alpha to work with menial tasks during Zumba time, managing finances and whatnot. He had finally provided some information in that he was a demon, under orders from one of the six demon lords. Alpha was pretty tight-lipped about which one, but Catarina wasn’t sure she would recognize or be able to pronounce the name anyways.

She attempted to keep as much distance between her and Alpha as she could. His favorite past time seemed to be frustrating her on a more primal level. It angered her that she was so physically attracted to him, and Alpha seemed to know that.

~

One afternoon, Alpha had scared the bejeezus out of her when she came out of her bathroom in nothing but a towel and he was awkwardly standing right in front of the door.

“What the hell are you doing in my room?!?!” Catarina clutched the towel that she almost dropped to her chest.

“I was wondering if I would be able to utilize your shower,” Alpha adverted his eyes, his ears turning pink, “this form is beginning to smell…unpleasant.”

“You couldn’t wait until I came out into the living room?”

“But this is your only shower. You only have one restroom.”

“Because I don’t normally have to SHARE,” Catarina sighed, “Get out of my room and let me change and you can use it.”

Alpha smirked, “It’s not like it would be anything I haven’t seen before,” he managed to duck as a book off of a nearby dresser flew towards his head.

“OUT!” Catarina shouted.

~

After Catarina got dressed and showed Alpha how to work the shower, she turned on Spotify to her Latin playlist and began preparing dinner. She sang and danced around the kitchen as she chopped and sautéed vegetables and chicken. After finishing the quick meal in the frying pan, she dumped the contents onto two plates and turned around, almost clocking Alpha in the head with the hot pan in surprise.

“Alpha,” she scolded after jumping at his sudden appearance at her side, slowly putting the pan on the stove, “We’ve talked about this.”

“Sorry,” Alpha scratched the back of his head sheepishly, “I’m still not used to sharing living quarters with another living being.”

“Obviously,” Catarina covered her eyes with her hands, her face turning red, “you really felt the need to walk around my apartment wet and in nothing but a towel?”

There was a shuffle and then two large hands gently pulled her hands away from her face.

“Is my form not pleasing to you?” Alpha asked as he cocked his head to the side and bent his head down to make eye contact with her.

“You smell like a girl,” Catarina looked away, relieved that he had managed to clothe himself.

Alpha released her hands and sniffed his shoulder, “I used what materials were left to me in the shower.”

“Well I guess that means that after dinner we’re going to the best place on Earth,” Catarina handed him his plate, much to Alpha’s delight and he began stuffing food into his mouth.

“And where, may I ask, is the greatest place on Earth?” Alpha responded between bites.

Catarina grinned, “Target.”

~

What should have been a thirty minute max trip took two hours. Alpha learned very quickly that Target was NOT the greatest place on Earth and was actually a level of hell. Catarina had to stop in every single section…literally. Once he was able to get her out of the dollar section, she looked at bags and at jewelry. She tried on ten different pairs of shoes and spent 45 minutes in and out of the dressing room. The cart that she swore they “wouldn’t need but we should take one just in case” slowly started to fill up. He never realized that it was possible to be at a store for so long and he felt his eyes were going to fall out from sheer boredom.

They finally made it to the grocery section, where she had him smell every single type of men’s shampoo and body wash until he picked one, even though he said that the first choice would be perfectly adequate. She also had him pick out some snack food in case he felt the need to eat, so he grabbed some peanut butter crackers and a strange concoction labeled “Nutella.”

Alpha was able to somehow steer Catarina to the checkout and they almost made it out of the store until Catarina remembered that Alpha had never had Starbucks before either. So he ended up walking back home sipping on a froo-froo frappucino something-or-other.

Catarina put everything up and then plopped onto the couch with Alpha, her legs splayed across his lap as she slurped more of her frappucino.

“That was fun!” she sighed, stretching, receiving a grunt from Alpha, “We should do that again!”

“Let’s not,” Alpha grumbled.

Catarina pouted, “But we don’t have any fun! I haven’t been able to go out and do anything since you showed up! And it will be yet another Friday that I won’t be spending in the clubs.”

“What do you need to go to the clubs for anyways?”

“You’ve never been to a – oh well I guess it would make sense that you haven’t. You go to drink and dance and hang out with friends. And I’m starting to run out of excuses to say no to mine.”

“You could always tell them that your life is in danger.”

“Please Alpha?” Catarina begged, “I can’t take much more of this. I’m starting to develop cabin fever.”

“Places like that are security nightmares. I would not be able to protect you to the best of my abilities if you were to go. And that would be if you even stayed close by, which I have a feeling you would not.”

Catarina grumbled but let the subject drop…for now.


End file.
